Education

Every school should have a dog or another pet to reduce stress in the classroom, says Sir Anthony Seldon. The University of Buckingham vice-chancellor says it is “a powerfully cost-effective way of helping children feel more secure at schools”. Sir Anthony was speaking at a conference about the need to improve young people’s sense of […]

Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption Term time holidays were behind 85% of fines for absences from schools in 2017-18 The number of fines issued to parents in England for taking children on term time holidays has almost doubled in a year, statistics show. Penalty notices rose by 93% to almost 223,000 in 2017-18. Jon Platt, […]

Two teenagers have spoken of living in fear of knives. The girls, from Blackbird Leys in Oxford, are all too aware how deadly weapons can be. Afraid to walk alone in alleyways, they know how “something so simple like a knife can ruin a whole family”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-47644943

Image copyright Lauren PerkinsImage caption Lauren Perkins gave birth to sextuplets in 2012 A woman in Houston has given birth to sextuplets in under 10 minutes. So what lies ahead when she brings her six newborns home? They say it takes a village to raise a child, however, they don’t say what it takes to […]

Image copyright Getty Images The education secretary is calling on payments firms such as PayPal to block transactions for essay writing firms, in a bid to beat university cheats. Damian Hinds says it is “unethical for these companies to profit from this dishonest business”. He also suggests UK universities should consider US-style “honour codes” where […]

Mike and Trish White lost two babies at birth in 2017 and 2018. The couple’s tragic experience inspired an idea to help other bereaved parents. They set up The Teddy Rose Foundation and this month began making blankets for hospitals in the region. The blankets are separated in half so that when it’s time for […]

Image copyright Bill Kunkel An unvaccinated Kentucky teenager is suing after his Catholic school excluded him amid a chickenpox outbreak that has sickened at least 32 pupils. Jerome Kunkel, 18, has not contracted the virus, but he has been banned by Our Lady of the Sacred Heart/Assumption Academy in Walton. His lawsuit argues the vaccine […]

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionLGBT classes protester: I am not homophobic Four more schools in Birmingham have stopped teaching about LGBT rights following complaints by parents. Leigh Trust said it was suspending the No Outsiders programme until an agreement with parents was reached. Earlier this month the city’s Parkfield Community School […]

Image copyright Getty Images Children with special educational needs and disabilities should not be treated as problems, youngsters have told MPs. “We’re not problems, we’re not just disabled, we’re not just Send – we are human beings, the same as the rest of you,” one youngster, Ben, told MPs. Ben was one of seven disabled […]

“Why do you want to be an apprentice and be a car technician, when you can go to university and do motor-sport engineering?” asks Alison. “Why fix cars when you can make cars?” The first in her family to go to university, Alison is now trying to inspire her three younger brothers, aged 16, 15 […]

A study suggests “positive triggers” like smelling lemons and squeezing your ears could help revision. Neuroscientists looked at how teenage brains work to help optimise learning. After working with Queen Anne’s School, near Reading, for around five years they came up with what they call “the ultimate revision guide”. It advises pupils not to study […]

Image copyright Getty Images A group of MPs is calling for a tax on social media companies’ profits, saying the firms are operating in “an online wild west”. Its report, which follows a year-long inquiry into the health impact of social media, says the industry should do more to protect children and young people online. […]